The Iron Soul
by Avgi
Summary: Levy is the Valedictorian of the school. One fateful day, she forgets her homework at home and now she must help Gajeel, the school's delinquent, improve his grades by the end of the year. Will she be able to pull through, or will she give up on Gajeel? Disclaimer: Characters belong to Hiro Mashima. Story belongs to me :P
1. Chapter 1

**This is something I came up with while reading other Fan fiction. I will write more, but I'm also working on other stories, so keep in touch and also explore other stories. NaLu, Gruvia and possibly Jerza are coming up next!**

**Fairy Tail and its characters belong to Hiro Mashima **

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Chapter 1

The Iron Soul

I frantically looked through my backpack, trying to find my biology homework that I had been working on for 2 weeks, but it was nowhere to be seen. Mr. Allen was a very strict teacher, who showed no mercy, so that only added to my stress.

"Gajeel, when are you going to learn? You need to become more responsible." sighed Mr. Allen. I raise my head and looked over his direction. Mr. Allen was slightly leaning over Gajeel's desk, waiting for an answer. Gajeel was sitting in a slided down position on his chair while looking down at his crossed hands, as if he was sleeping. "Gajeel?" Mr. Allen repeated. He then raised his head and looked right into the teacher's eyes. "Well?" he asked.

"I'll give you the homework tomorrow." he said with a straight face.

"I'm afraid I can't do that Gajeel. Rules are rules. I'll see you after class." He slowly went by every student checking if they had finished their own projects, when he finally reached me. After the scene with Gajeel, I knew that it wouldn't end well.

"Levy, do I even need to ask?" he smiled at me. I was his top student, so saying my next words really pained me.

"Maybe today,... that might be necessary." I tried to laugh it off, but he was not amused. "You see… I, uh… I left it at home…" I stuttered. He sighed.

"Alright Levy, I understand. Just bring it in tomorrow, alright?" Even though I felt relieved, I knew that wasn't fair, especially towards Gajeel.

"No, not really Mr. Allen. It's not fair for the other students. I'll take the penalty like any other person." I immediately regretted saying that. I definitely did not want to ruin my perfect record, but there was no going back.

"I've got to say, I'm really disappointed, Levy. I'll see you after class." And within seconds, he had gone back to his desk and dismissed the class, all except me and Gajeel. "Come up to the front, both of you." He sternly said. My knees were shaking. I knew I should have been feeling so scared, but that was the first time I ever forgot my homework. If he were to record this, I would never be able to get into my top choice in college. Okay, maybe that is an over exaggeration as well, but I couldn't help it. I managed to get to the front but my head was tilting down in shame. "Gajeel, you too." he grunted. I looked back ever so slightly, only to see Gajeel staring off into space like nothing was going on. Suddenly he turned his head in our direction, while making eye contact with me. I quickly turned my head in its original positioning. I felt the vibration of the chair as Gajeel slid it across the floor. Moments later he was standing right beside me. I had never noticed it before, but he was massive. I always knew I was small for my age, but he must have been the largest person I had ever seen.

"What's up teach?" He casually said.

"Definitely not your grades. In fact, they're way down low."

"That all?"

"I can only imagine what your English teacher is going through." Mr. Allen said with a sigh. "Listen Gajeel, this is no time to be messing around. We are half way through the year and you still have made no effort, regardless of how many times we have reached out to you. Keep it up, and you'll never see yourself graduate."

"That's fine."

"How can you say that? I can understand people not wanting to go to college, but not having a High School diploma, you'll never go far in life, let alone down the street." I blurted out. I immediately bit my tongue once the words left my mouth. Why did I care? Was that just me being responsible, that it made me want to help other people's problems. I looked at both of them and saw surprise in their expressions. I guess I wasn't the only one who was caught off guard by what I had said. "Sorry." I whispered.

"Don't apologize, Levy. I'm actually glad you said that while also grabbing his attention." He reassured me. "With that said, I came up with a way for all of us to gain some kind of benefit. Gajeel, your punishment is to simply finish your homework on time from now on. No excuses whatsoever. If not, I will have to take more drastic measures."

"How will you make sure I'll do the work, Teach?" he asked blantly.

"Thats where Levy comes in." I raised my head in confusion.

"I don't need a babysitter." He argued.

Mr. Allen ignored his snarky comment and continued with what he had to say. "Levy, I don't want to punish you. You are a really outstanding student who has only slipped up once. It's perfectly normal, do not worry. But since you think I should punish you, I will assign you to help Gajeel with his studies. And since I praise you for all of your hard work from all four years since I've known you, I will not penalize you for the homework, and, in addition, I will include extra credit since this seems like a fairly difficult job." he smiled.

"I uh… that sound… wonderful." I struggled to say.

"Excellent. I believe there are no objections?"

"One." grunted Gajeel.

"Perfect, you are dismissed."

Walking down the halls with Gajeel must have been the most awkward moment in my life. Sometimes he would mumble something insulting about Mr. Allen, and other times he would yell out to me to keep up.

"So uh… when do you want to start?" I shyly asked.

"Tomorrow's good."

"But you have a project due tomorrow. It needs to be today." I objected.

"Problem?" he asked while trying to look intimidating

"Well yeah, it is. Whatever you do will affect me in the process as well. That's not fair."

"That doesn't concern me. How about you run on home before it gets dark, little shrimp?" he ordered while walking away.

"Don't call me that! And it should concern you! I stood up for you, and that's the reason why I'm in this mess!"

"Maybe you should learn to not be so naive!" he shouted back. "People will take advantage of you."

"Like you are now?"

"Exactly." and with that he kept walking. What was I supposed to do? He was so stubborn. I stand there looking in his direction as he walks away in the afternoon light. So many things were popping in my mind that I wanted to scream at him, but I didn't have the courage to do it. "Well? Are you coming or not?" I then noticed he had stopped and was looking in my direction. "I'm not gonna wait any longer."

"Uh, yeah sure!" I shouted. I quickly grabbed my bag and threw it over my shoulder and ran to him. Why did he suddenly change his mind? Was it because he didn't want to fail the class, or was it because of me? I dismissed the thought as I quickly approached him. "So? Shall we go to my place or yours?

"Yours. Make it easier for you." he mumbled. It shocked me when he said that. Just two seconds ago, he was scolding me for being too naive, yet at that moment he cared about making my life and this task easier for me. I then thought that he might not be that bad of a guy that people make him out to be.

"Okay!" I cheered as we set off for my home.

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**Please leave comments and any suggestions on what you would like to happen next!**


	2. Chapter 2

**All things Fairy Tail belong to Hiro Mashima. Picture also belongs to its rightful owner.**

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Chapter 2

Nuclei

It was getting dark pretty quickly as Gajeel and I were walking back to my place. I knew I was not a little kid anymore, but the dark still kind of scared me. My parents always warned me about walking around after curfew. Many street thugs wandered around, attacking anyone who was smaller than them, and I was the smallest of them all. I looked towards Gajeel as I walked beside him, but he was minding his own business.

"Do you need something, shrimp?" he asked in annoyance.

"I uh… uh n-no." I stuttered.

"We'll stop looking at me." he responded. I immediately turned my head and looked away. It was a real pain going through with his attitude, but I did put my self up for it, and I was determined to finish it.

For the rest of the walk home, the only thing that I could think of was Gajeel and how I came to know him. I had lived in the city of Magnolia my whole life and attended Feare academy since pre-school. I only crossed paths with Gajeels four years ago, during Freshman year. I remember him being a pain, especially to all the teachers. He would show up late to all the classes, and he would also skip. He would talk back, insult, cuss and sometimes he would get into fights. It was a miracle how he never got expelled. I never personally talk to him or even go near him. As the class representative and valedictorian, I never really had time to make new friends. My schedule consisted of me, going to school, coming back from school, studying and then sleep.

"Right or left?" Gajeel asked.

"Huh?"

"Pick one." I snapped out of my head and realized we had come into a split road.

"Oh, sorry. Left." I managed to say.

"Why are you spacing out? If you do that when you're on your own, someone could kidnap you."

"I'm just thinking about something, that's all." I mumbled

"You're lucky I'm here while you're doing that." he then said. I looked up to him in amazement. Gajeel was the type of guy who never opened up to anyone, let alone even talk to, and there he was looking out for me. "Don't read too much into it. It's not like I have a crush on you or anything." he smirked. I really did have high hopes for him, and he always found ways to disappoint them.

"I didn't think that you did! How can you say that? I'm just your tutor! Why…. wha…!" I started to freak out. Gajeel placed his hand on my head while gently patting it.

"I'm just messing with ya, little shrimp!" he laughed.

After a while of walking, we finally reached the front gate to my house. Even though I stopped, Gajeel proceeded to walk. Once he noticed that we had reached our destination, his jaw dropped in amazement.

"This is where you live?" He asked in astonishment.

"Y-yeah." I mumble.

"It's freaking huge! What, you have a freaking private mall in there?"

"Of course not!" I protested. I then approached the gate and pressed the doorbell. Seconds later, a response came from the speaker. "Darien, it's me, Levy. Could you open the door for us?"

"Why of course Miss Levy. Welcome home." he answered back. I slight buzz was heard and the front gates automatically opened. Once we reached the front door, Darien was in view, waiting for us to come in. "Would you like us to prepare some tea, for you and your guest?" he asked.

"Sure, that would be great. Thank you Darien."

"You have your own Sebastian?" asked Gajeel.

"His name is Darien." I stubbornly said.

"How do you do?" asked Darien politely.

"How do I do what?" Typical.

"We'll be upstairs studying, Darien." I said while heading for my room.

"But of course Miss Levy. Pleasure to meet you, Sir." He smiled and retreated into the kitchen.

"This is weird." Gajeel groaned as he followed behind me.

"Right in here." I opened the door to my room and invited him in. It was really unsettling having a boy in my room, especially a guy like Gajeel, but considering the study is strictly for my parents, this is the only place that we could work in. "Make yourself comfortable."

"What the…?" I heard him say. I quickly turn and see a dumbstruck face staring into my room.

"What?"

"Is this a room or a library?" he asked.

"Ignoring that." I walk across my room and drop my backpack on my bed. I turn around and saw that he was still standing next to my bedroom door, looking around my room. "Well, are you gonna come here or not."

"Wow, so straightforward. Should I take my clothes off now or after?" he smirked

I'm pretty sure my face turned bright red at that comment. "W-w-what!? D-don't be ridi-diculous!" I stuttered.

"Relax, shrimp. I'm just messin'."

"Meanie!" I spat out.

"Gihi." He started to walk across my room and slowly reached my bed. "You know, I always thought of you as the crazy bookworm person whose floor is filled with books rather than dirty clothes."

"How can you say that! Books should be respected! They're not something you just throw on the floor!"

Gajeel just stared at me in disbelief "I take that back, you are the crazy bookworm person."

"Am not!"

"Yeah, you're right… you're the shrimp."

"And you're the jerk! So nice to meet your acquaintance." I said sarcastically with a smile on my face. He scoffed at my smart remark. "Can we please just get this over with?" I whined.

"What you don't like hanging out with me?" he asked while plopping down on my bed, making himself at home.

"Its not that. We just have to do your homework." he sighed at that. I rolled my eyes at his unwillingness to cooperate and sat down on my bed. I then reached into my backpack and took out my biology book. "So, the assignment due today was a color graph of the two different cells. Correct?"

"There's two? I thought there was only one?"

"Anybody could think that, but we did this last week so you should know this." He exhaled at that. "There's the Eukaryotic cell, the one that has a nucleus and the Prokaryotic cell, the one that doesn't have a nucleus." I said with excitement, thinking I got his attention. But, to my failure, he just stared at me with a blank face. "What don't you understand? I just said one sentence."

"First you talk about cells and then about nucleuses? How can you not think I'd be confused?" he growled in annoyance.

"Nuclei." I mumbled.

"What?"

"Plural for nucleus…" I noticed that his eye twitched from the aggravation. "...is nuclei."

"Kill me now."

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**Hey guys, **

**Finally thought I should upload this story. I'm scared about this one cause I don't know where I'm going with it, but I love how it flows, so hopefully I come up with something soon. If you guys have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. Constructive criticism is welcome. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**All things Fairy Tail belong to Hiro Mashima. Picture also belongs to its rightful owner.**

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Chapter 3

Go Home

It was eleven p.m. and studying with Gajeel was becoming exhausting. Every moment I turned away, he would become distracted with something else. Whenever I explained the homework, I had to repeat another eight times so it sinks into his brain. He was just not cooperating. He didn't want to cooperate. He just wanted to be done with it.

"Gajeel, look at me." I exhaled. He turned his, so called, attention to me. "Blood cells." I paused, making sure he was still on the same page. "Red and white."

"What is white?" he bluntly said.

"White blood cells."

"Blood is red. Not white."

"Its a type of blood cell. It doesn't affect the blood's color."

"Then why is there a thing as blue bloods?" I face palmed. Hard.

"I give up." I plopped on the bed mentally exhausted. "Its just impossible. Truly impossible."

"Aw don't say that shrimp. Just tell the Teach you can't do it." he said while getting up and heading for the door.

"Can somebody really be that hard to teach?" My mind was not working at that time. I was trying to process all of the things that had happened within three hours.

"You tried your best. See ya around." I shot my eyes open, almost in surprise. Would he really? Is he that big of an idiot.

"Halt." I suddenly snapped. He turned around and looked at me, now sitting on the bed with an aggravated expression.

"Cute face."

"Not funny." I growled. I shot him a glare. "How long were you going to be acting?"

"Until you figured it out, so now." Unbelievable.

"Are you an idiot?" I practically yelled.

""Don't raise your voice at me midget." Great another annoying nickname that makes me want to slap him.

"Don't waste my time..." I paused trying to find an insult. He was amused it was difficult for me. "...bully!" Smooth.

He bursted out laughing. "Nice comeback shrimp." and he exited the door. He was a jerk. I wasted my time on him to help him pass the class and graduate, but he was just playing around. I should have just let him take the fall and gotten away with my mistake. I fell onto my bed once again and pressed my pillow against my face, yelling my lungs out.

It was second period, Biology. Class was almost over and Mr. Allen was about to check our homework. I didn't realize it before, but Gajeel and I never finished his homework the night before. I was getting really anxious, feeling sweat falling down my face. Mr. Allen had finally reached Gajeel and asked for his homework, when something no one ever thought would happen. He reaches into his backpack and pulled out what looked like five sheets of paper. My eyes widened in surprise. He finished his homework by himself after he left. All in one night. A little gasp escaped, but luckily no one heard it.

"I'm impressed Gajeel. Now let's see if its actually your work." Mr. Allen turned in my direction and looked me straight in the eye. "Levy, did you help him more than necessary?"

I shook my head in denial. "No" I then looked at Gajeel. "He did it all by himself." Even Mr. Allen was surprised at my answer.

"Well then. I guess you are all dismissed."

"I'm telling you Lucy, he really is unpredictable." I complained to my blonde friend.

"Uh-huh."

"He is so complicated, its inconceivable!" I continued.

"And when he pulled out his homework, I was flabbergasted."

"Okay, Levy, I just came out of English. I don't want anymore SAT words." She exhaled.

"Oh right, sorry." I apologized, realizing what I was doing. Lucy was a childhood friend. She was the daughter of one of my father's business partners. I trusted her with everything, from gossip to secrets. After the event that happened in Biology class, it was lunch and I sat down with her to talk about my problems involving Gajeel. "But honestly Lucy, what should I do? I should think that he wouldn't come back for another study session after what happened last night, but I should also hope he would after he did his homework on his own in one night with no help whatsoever."

"What can I say Levy, he's a real mystery." she shrugged. I couldn't help but sigh at that. "But then again, it could be because of you."

My jaw dropped in response. "Wha-what are you s-s-saying?" I stuttered, feeling my cheeks burning red.

"I just don't see Gajeel respecting or obey to any person with authority. But if what you are saying is true, then he must be doing it because you're getting through to him."

"That's ridiculous." I defended while crossing my arms.

"Levy."

"Huh?"

"You're blushing." She giggled.

I immediately slap my palms to my cheeks, trying to hide the embarrassment. "Stop it, Lucy!"

She wiped her face with her handkerchief and piled our dirty dishes. "I'm done, do you want to go?"

"Yeah sure. I have free period. What about you?"

"Same. Wanna head out?"

"Yeah." We placed our dishes in the dish room and headed for the front doors.

"So what are you going to do now?" she asked with a hint of concern.

"I don't know." I exhaled. "I'm gonna have faith in him and hope he's going to change for the greater good."

"Cheesy." She bluntly said.

"Hey!"

"I'm sorry, but it was." she laughed, making me laugh along with her. "So you think you can help him?"

"Yeah, I think he's starting to show potential." I smiled.

"You sure about that?" She asked. I didn't get it at first, but Lucy had stopped walking and stared outside of the window near the front entrance. I followed the direction her finger was pointing at, only to see Gajeel outside with a bunch of other thugs. I didn't notice it at first, but smoke was emerging on top of them. They were smocking. Shock and rage blasted through my body. "Levy! Wait!" Before I could even process what she was saying, I was already out of the front door, facing the group of thugs. They all shared a confused expression towards me as I huffed and puffed.

"What's up, shrimp?" I was practically glaring at him.

"What do you think you are doing?" I yelled. His eyes widened at the unexpected boldness I showed.

"Smockin', sup' with you?" Idiot.

"You can't do that on School property, and plus, you have homework to do!" I know I sounded like a mother, but it needed to be said.

Everyone in the group started laughing at the scene. A man with black and white hair and a tattoo line across his face was the first to speak. "Ah man, Gajeel, never though your babysitter was so adorable." He commented with a evil grin. "Can I play with her?" That sent chills down my spine. Disgusting.

"Go home shrimp." Gajeel ordered.

I looked around the rest of the group. They did not go to our school, but everyone knew they were the gang Gajeel was in. Next to the back and white haired man was a unusually tall bulky man who wore a hat and a bandage around his eyes. Peculiar but it wasn't my problem. The next person was a petite man with a mustache who also wore a monocle. By his laugh, he sounded french.

"Hahaha, shrimp! That's hilarious!" They all laughed.

"Gajeel. We need to go." I sternly said, but the gang just snickered.

"Go away." He murmured.

"Yo, Gajeel. You know this chick?" The weird man asked almost too curiously.

He didn't answer immediately. For what seemed like hours, Gajeel stared at me for a couple of seconds with a look of defeat. "No."

My chest pounded. I felt tears emerging, stinging my eyes, but I didn't want to cry in front of them. But it was too late. A single tear escaped my eyes and ran down my cheek. They only sat there and laughed so more. "Aw, pauvre fille voulait avouer son amour pour lui" Everyone turned their heads in confusion. "Poor girl wanted to confess her love to him." He sighed, still sounding french.

The laughing made it worse. I sniffed a couple of times before running off in the opposite direction. I ran as fast as my little legs could carry me. I wasn't cry because of the things they said, but the fact that he was allowing them to make fun of me and act like he never met me. I kept running until I reached a phonebooth. I quickly got inside and called Darien. He almost instantaneously picked up the phone.

"Shall I send a car, Miss Levy." He asked.

"Yes, please." I whimpered.

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**Hey guys,**

**I'm sorry for the late update. College just started and things are crazy. Finally finished this chapter, and and its extra long too. Hope you guys enjoy. Favorite, Follow and of course Review! Helps me out a lot.**


	4. Chapter 4

**All things Fairy Tail belong to Hiro Mashima. Picture also belongs to its rightful owner.**

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Chapter 4

Love is Love

"Levy, please open the door." my best friend's voice sounded through the door. "It's just me, no one else." I had returned from school four hours ago and cried the entire time. I know this because I raise my head slightly from my pillow and saw that it was already getting dark out. Lucy just kept knocking on my bedroom door for the past forty minutes and apparently had no intentions of giving in. I let out a slight sigh and slowly got up from my bed. Tear stains were all over my sheets and pillow. Feeling totally defeated and humiliated, I get myself up and headed for the door. The cold doorknob sent a chill down my spine the moment my palm touched it. I sighed and twisted my wrist. Within a second, Lucy was inside my room and closed the door behind her, locking us both in. She stared down at me with her big brown eyes. They were filled with sadness and worry, something I never wanted her to feel. "Girl, come here." She grabbed my shoulders and pulled me into a hug. "Don't worry yourself about men like him. He takes advantage of you and doesn't appreciate you." she said as she pat my head. I could not speak at all. I had cried so much that knots filled my throat. I sobbed into her shoulder but no tears came out. Probably, already cried all my tears away. "Heyheyhey, no more crying." She grabbed my chin and made me look at her. "You are strong and tears don't suit you."

"You (*sniff*) sound like a (*sniff*) boyfriend." I managed to say against sniffs.

"You know it babe." She said with a straight face. He both stood there for what seemed like a long time, until we both started laughing our hearts out. "There is the Levy, I know! Full of smiles and laughter." she laughed.

"Thanks girl." I really did feel better, but I was still saddened. "Thinking about how he talked to me… I can't get over it for some reason…"

"Well first of all, you need to ask yourself, do you have any feelings for him."

The thought of it made me blush an unnatural shade of red "Wh-what of course not! How can you ask that?"

"Well you are a sensitive person, but I didn't think anyone would be able to bring you to this condition."

"Well I don't! How can someone like a jerk like him?"

"I don't know, you tell me?" she giggled.

I glared at her. "It's not funny! Seriously though, the guy surely has never gotten a freaking hair cut, let alone comb it, there are more jewelry on his face then there are in _Tiffany's_, he dresses like Earth's gravity has doubled, and let's not forget, his speech. Thank god his english teacher hasn't come crying to me." I blurted out. Saying all those things lifted a huge weight off my chest, but it also made me feel very guilty.

"Levy? Do you really mean all that stuff?" she asked.

"Yeah…. maybe…. no… I don't know… I'm just super confused." I sighed. Soft giggles made me look over to my best friend that tried to contain herself. "Wha-what's so funny?" I yelped my cheeks burning hot.

"You like him." She laughed.

"N-no I don't!"

"Look at yourself. When you say mean things about him, you immediately fall into a gloomy state that I have never seen you in, no matter how bad a day goes for you. And yet, when I saw you with him walking home, you act so cute and so…"

"So what?"

"Happy." I was speechless. I never noticed a difference when I'm around him. Infact he's always bullying me and teasing me that I actually feel more aggravated than happy. Yet I can't say that I haven't enjoyed myself when I studied with him. "I still can't get over the fact that you like what could be the biggest delinquent in school. It's priceless!"

"Hey, you're one to talk, Miss 'I'm dating Natsu Dragneel'" I reciprocated.

"Haha I guess you're right."

"How did you guys end up dating anyway? I still can't get my mind around it." I asked full of curiosity.

"Honestly, I can tell you but I don't know myself either." She laughed. Her eyes then drifted away in the deepest parts of her memory. "It was when we first met when I thought that he was the biggest idiot that I had ever met. He was such a troublemaker that I would always scold him. He sometimes got me into all of his shenanigans that even I got in trouble in the end, but I could stay away from him. Even though it was a pain, he was still fun to be around."

"Is that why you think I like Gajeel?"

"I could be wrong, but that is how I think love starts out." The word love made my heart skip a beat. '_Stupid heart, stop it!' _We started hanging out even more and we would talk about our problems. An that is when one would say it was all over."

"What was it?" I asked he, obviously getting way too into the story.

"He liked someone else."

"No…" I muffled though my hands that covered my mouth.

"It was when I started developing feelings for him that he told me he had a girl back home that he missed and really liked during middle school. I never noticed it at first, but he was always on his phone texting. He then told me about Lisanna Strauss and how they always talked and how they used to be best friends."

"Strauss...strauss. That name reminds me of something…" I trailed off.

"She is the youngest sister of Mirajane Strauss, the Victoria Secret model, and Elfman Strauss, the professional football player."

My jaw dropped. "Oh my god, now I remember! Her siblings are so cool. I wonder if she's like that."

"I met her and we are actually good friends. She strives to be a vet one day because she loves animals to death. She's pretty normal, but really smart and cool."

"Was it awkward to meet her?"

"At first yeah because it was during a Skype session when he still had a crush on her. She is gorgeous, just as much as her sister."

"Woah."

"Haha, regardless, I met her and she seemed really sweet. No wonder he liked her so much. I think they talked for hours that day."

"I don't know if I could deal with that and not hate her."

"I wanted to because that is the easier way to deal with a problem. But she really isn't a bad person. I could definitely see why Natsu liked her." She sighed at that. "But anyway. That weekend that I met her, there was a party going on and we both decided to go. I really shouldn't say this to you, but there was drinking involved."

"Oh no!" I gasped. "You didn't!"

"I did. It's honestly not that big of a deal. My parent's don't mind me doing it because they know I'm responsible. Let's not get caught on little details though."

"Okay, but please, promise you won't end up like Cana." I laughed.

"I promise." She giggled and then continued on to her story "I was in a happy drunk stage. our group of about eight people decided to leave the pregaming party and head over to the dance. Natsu and I never made it there. I was getting tired along the way that I needed to sit down and take a breath and he stayed with me, resulting into us being separated from the rest of the group. We sat there looking out to the pond that was close by. He then placed his hand around my shoulder because I was tumbling over. For some reason I was going on and on about hating him and how he was like every other guy that I had met. He would talk back to me but I really don't remember what he said. He then asked me what was wrong and not even a whisper, I said that I like him. I don't know how he heard me but he reassured I said what I said and then kissed me."

"What?" I gasped. "But I thought he was with Lisanna!"

"He liked her for years, but never told her how he felt. He was never in a relationship with her. It still felt wrong though so I stopped and pulled away from him."

"Why? You had him."

"It wasn't fair to anyone. Not to Natsu because he had a long lasting crush that could be ruined by a random girl, not to Lisanna because she also had feelings for him, and obviously not to me because he liked Lisanna and me and couldn't decide who he wanted."

"Wait wait wait. She liked him too?"

"After I broke the kiss, I got into this argument, trying to explain that he didn't like me for me but because he missed Lisanna. He only liked me because I was there to fill a void. I felt used." She sniffed a little, trying to cover it up, but I still noticed. "He said he liked both of us, but didn't know what he wanted anymore. I told him that I wanted him to call her that instant and tell her how he felt." She paused with a saddened expression plastered on her face. "He did." she choked. "He called her and he spilled out his feelings to her and she accepted. Once he started crying from enjoyment, I got up and left. I went to my house and got out of window and went on my roof. I sat there and cried while looking up to the stars. I always felt more at peace when I looked up to the stars. Its like friends that will always be there beside you. Nevertheless, at some point I saw that he had called me and texted me asking me where I was, but I ignored him. moments later a voice on the ground called out my name and Natsu was there. I was so happy to see him but I acted coldly towards him. He managed to get up on the roof using the tree next to my house and sat next to me. He asked me what was the matter and at that moment I acted furious to his obliviousness and stupidity. I asked him why I had to go through this pain and suffering of admitting to him I liked him when I knew he liked Lisanna and helped him confess his feelings, and when I was in the process of getting over him, he comes around and takes care of me like he always did. It wasn't fair. His only reply was if things were different, he would have me in his arms."

"That jerk…"

"I got up and kicked him out saying that he should come find me when he figures things out."

"Good for you girl! So what happened, did he chase after you?"

"Not immediately."

"Well he should have!"

"I was only when I was finally getting over him that he came around. I was hanging with this guy Loke, the exchange student from three years ago, at a party. Don't hate me but again I was drunk."

"Lucy…" I sighed.

"I was taking care of him because he was way more fargone than I was but I guess I couldn't handle it. He wanted something more, but I kept saying no and kept pushing me. Thank God Natsu was there to stop him. He took me home after that but we didn't talk at all the entire way home. It was only when I was about to say goodbye to him that he leaned in and kissed me and said that he chose me."

"Oh... my… God…" I whispered. I have hung out with the couple before and I honestly can't picture them apart. It's like they were made for eachother. "And that is when you guys started dating."

"Yup. A whole year now." She smiled. The entire time that she was telling me the story, she showed signs of hurt, yet at the end, she turned back to her bright cheery self that I knew and loved. "Levy, I told you this story because I want you to know that love is love. You won't be able to escape the inevitable."

"I guess you are right." I shut my lips the moment that those words came out. "Lucy!"

She winked and smiled at me "You'll thank me later." She got up from the bed and headed for the door. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Y-yeah sure thing." I stuttered while still flustered by the sudden realization that happened merely seconds ago.

The sound of the handle turning and the lock on the door clicking was heard and Lucy let out a small gasp. "Oh, um sorry. Levy, someone is here to see you."

I got up not knowing what she was talking about. She opened the door wider and let in the guy that I apparently had undeniable feelings for.

"Gajeel."

* * *

***Runs away as the readers see me hiding behind the bushes. **

**Look I'm sorry I haven't** **uploaded in the longest time but I've been really busy. To tell you the truth, I had to go through a lot of stuff in order to write this chapter. It wasn't what I was originally planning on writing, but it works REALLY well, if I say so myself. Inspiration is a blessing, it really is. Its the only reason how I came up with 90% of this chapter and wrote it all at the top of my head in the last 4 hours. Nevertheless, It is done and it is way longer than anything I'm use to and hey if this makes up for not posting in a long time, I just killed two birds with one stone. Took a while, but they are dead now... Gone forever... Oh... I thought we were still talking about the birds... Wait... I'm not suppose to kill birds with stones...? -Intermission-**

***No birds were actually hurt in the making of this author's note***


	5. Chapter 5

**All things Fairy Tail belong to Hiro Mashima. Picture also belongs to its rightful owner.**

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Chapter 5

Hanging Around

"What are you doing here?"my voice shook.

"I came to see ya shrimp, what else?" he said plainly, making me even more upset.

"You came... to see me?" I questioned, short of breath. "_What does he mean?" _I thought. "_Was he worried?"_

"Can we sit down?" He asked.

"Y-yeah. Sure." He came closer to me and sat down on my desk chair. I proceeded at sat on my bed once again. I look at him and saw that he was staring at me, more specifically my face. "_Why is he staring? Why is it making my heart throb out of control?"_

He suddenly reached over to my desk at pulled out two tissues from my tissue box and handed them over to me. "Here."

"Huh?"

"You look like a racoon ya shrimp."

Confused I look in the mirror that was in the distant corner of my room. Streaks of black ran down my face like black rivers. I gasp and immediately look at my pillow and noticed that it was all smudged with my mascara. I quickly grabbed the tissues out of his hand and wiped my face. "Thanks." I shyly said. Without giving an answer, I see him pulling out my desk top and shuffle my papers. "Uh, what are you doing?" I asked in confusion.

"I'm looking for ya notes. Where ya have them?"

"What? Why do you-?"

"I need em to scrape up the homework due tomorrow. Where they at?"

My heart dropped. He only came over for the notes. He only came over to take advantage of me again, use me like his little toy.

"Who do you think you are treating me like that? Who do you think you are coming over like nothing has happened? Huh?" Tears started to form in my eyes, but I tried hard not to show it.

"Wha?" he said with a confused face.

"You…" rage started to boil my blood. He was unbelievable. "You are the worst! Why did Damien even let you in? Go away! I don't want to see you!" I practically screamed.

"Calm down. Just listen-"

"NO! I won't listen! I thought you changed but you are still a jerk!" Despite me always implying that he was a jerk and never reacting to it, this time his eye twitched from irritation. He got up while looking down at the floor, avoiding complete eye contact with me. "What are you waiting for? Go!" I said one last time before he grabbed me and lifted me off the ground. "Hey what are you...?" I yelped.

"Stop squirmin' and just listen!" He growld. This time he was completely serious. I was frightened he might explode at any moment and possibly hurt me.

"O-okay. Just please, don't hurt me…" I sniffed.

I felt my feet gently touch the ground and opened my eyes and saw a troubled Gajeel looking down at me. "I'm not gonna hurt ya Shrimp." He silently said. I felt terrible. How could I assume he would hurt me just because of the way her looks or how other people interpret him as. It was wrong.

"Sorry, I didn't mean… I was just…"

"Scared? Yeah, sorry about that." Silence filled the air. We didn't know what to say next. I called him a jerk repeatedly, and accused him of trying to hurt me. How much more could I mess it up. "Listen, it sounds stupid but I can't have my gang thinkin' I have you helping me study and stuff." I looked at him surprised. Sure I was hurt, but it made more sense for how he was acting.

"Oh, was that it? I thought you just hated me." I said in relief.

"Nah, screw that." What did that mean? "Can we get to the homework now? I don't want the old man buggin' me about it." he quickly said.

"Y-yeah, of course." I replied. With that, a knock on my bedroom door was heard making me slightly jolt. "Who could that be?" I walk towards the entrance to my room and open the door to find Darien standing patiently there. "Darien, is something wrong?"

"Miss Levy, you're parents are home. They are requesting your presence in the lobby."

"What!" I said in surprise. "_How are they home so early? They weren't supposed to be back till three weeks from now?" _"Alright Darien, I'll be right down." He then slightly bowed at continued on to walk down the hall. I close the door behind me and turned around to see a still present Gajeel standing in the middle of the room. A second passed and only then did I realise he wasn't supposed to be here. I let out a slight scream and run towards him and push him to one of corners of my room. "Stay here!" I commanded.

"Wait, wha-?" He questioned.

"I'll explain later, just stay put." I quickly said before running out of my room. "This is bad, this is bad." I kept chanting to myself. "How is he gonna be able to leave tonight without my parent's finding out?" Stress started to take hold of me, slowly making me go insane. "I got it! Once I see my parents, I'll go back to my room and study with Gajeel until they fall asleep. They must be exhausted after coming back from Finland." I turn the corner and found myself at the main lobby with my parents at the bottom of the staircase. "Mom, Dad!" I cheered.

"Levy!" They said in unison. I quickly but carefully run down the stairs at jumped into my father's arms. My mother joined in and we all shared a group hug that I craved for months.

"We missed you so much, baby girl." My father said full of joy.

"I missed you guys too. How was Finland?"

"It was marvelous. We even brought you gifts!" My mother added.

"Thank you so much, I can't wait to see them!" I laughed.

"We'll then we will open them together after dinner." said my father.

"Dinner?" Fear suddenly rushed through my body. "Wait. You guys must be tired. Why don't you go to bed. It was a long flight after all." I tried to convince them.

"I can't sleep until I get something in my system. You know I can't airplane food." My father said as he was taking off his coat.

"But, but can't we have dinner together another time? I already ate dinner." I lied.

"This is the first dinner together after a really long time, why don't you just sit and talk while we eat?" My mom said, making me feel guilty. I did miss them a lot and of course they missed me too, but I couldn't just leave Gajeel locked in my room and kick him out in the middle of the night.

"Honestly, "I just have a really big test in Biology tomorrow and I really need to study." I lied again. "I really do feel bad. Maybe tomorrow night! Then you can tell me everything about Finland!" I tried to sound enthusiastic to prevent them from being hurt to much.

"If you must. It's just surprising that you have yet to finish your homework, Levy." Are you doing okay in school." My father asked slightly concerned yet stern.

"Everything is fine, just some light review, and I'll be good to go." I smiled.

"We'll okay, just to strain yourself. We love you." My mom said as she gave me a kiss on my head.

"Love you too." I replied back before running up the stairs, heading for my room. My heart was beating fast. I was lucky I got out of that situation as quickly as possible. I reached my room in a matter of seconds and opened the door as quickly as I shut it. I look into my room, and Gajeel was no where to be found. At first I was confused but as the seconds went by, I started to panic. If he had left the room, my parents could find him and I would get in trouble. I thought of him leaving through the window but he is not as dumb as that. He couldn't have been hiding because he didn't didn't seem like the type of person to be playing games. Honestly, I thought I'd find him lying on my bed sleeping. "Gajeel, where are you?" I asked myself as I walked in the middle of the room. Suddenly I was attacked by two large arms surrounding my body and holding me tight. I let out a loud scream and I was immediately released. I then was forcefully turned around and a large palm covered my mouth.

"Shhh. Last time I checked you were a shrimp, not a blow horn." Gajeel said in irritation.

I grabbed him arm and pried it off of my face before I spoke. "What do you expect me to do when you try scare me to death?"

"I'm just messing with ya, you need to chill."

"Listen here-"

"Levy, is everything alright?" my dad's voice was heard in the distance. Panic suddenly surged through me in a matter of an instant. Gajeel was still here and my father was going to misunderstand the situation.

"Oh no!" I immediately thought of ways and spaces to hid Gajeel in, but he was too big of a person to hide in a room for a petite person like me. "_Think, Levy, think."_ I look at the window that, just a few moments before, thought it was a terrible idea, but sighed and convinced there was no other way.

"Levy, answer me sweetheart." My dad opened the door to my room and peeked his head in. He look around for any threats and rested his eyes on me, sitting on the window sill. "Levy?"

"Hi daddy." I smiled sweetly.

"What happened? I heard a scream and rushed here as fast as I could."

"Oh that? I had the window open, so I went ahead to close it and a bird just flew in and scared me. Its kind of silly actually." I laughed. "I managed to get it to fly out, so everything is fine."

"Well, if everything is okay, I guess I'll go back to dinner." He took one last look around my room before leaving and closing the door behind him.

I then let out a loud sigh in relief. The sound of tapping glass startled me, making me turn around seeing a very uncomfortable Gajeel hanging at the side of my house. I let out a giggle and opened the window to have a full view of my sweet revenge. "Having fun there?" I snickered.

"The things I do."

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**I've got to say, I'm not to happy with this chapter. Like, at all. I'm probably gonna rework this and I'll let you guys know when I do, but for now enjoy what I have written already.**

**-Avgi**


	6. Chapter 6

**All things Fairy Tail belong to Hiro Mashima. Picture also belongs to its rightful owner.**

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Chapter 6

Do It

We sat in my room for what seemed like forever. He was on one side of the room while I on the other, both of us staring in different distances. I broke off and looked in his direction and saw a very unemotional look, making me very curious.

"You starin' again." He grumbled as he looked back at me.

Realizing what I was doing I snapped out of it and immediately go to my defence. "I-I was not!" I tried to explain. "There's no talking going on so does it matter?"

"You made me climb out the window! What am I suppose to say?" He said with a voice full of irritation.

"I know, I know." I said in total defeat. "But I had no choice… I can't have my parents seeing you!" My face started to blush. "_Would he think that something was going on?"_

I looked up to him and saw that he was studying me very closely. I felt my face become even hotter like I was about to burst until he spoke. "Now ya look like a tomato." He bluntly said making me confused.

"Wha-?" I was about to speak when he grabbed my face with his hand squeezing my cheeks

"Why you blushin' so much, shrimp?" He snickered

"Am not!" I tried to protest, but because he was still squeezing my face, it sounded all funny like, making him laugh.

"You're too much shrimp." He continued laughing. To my annoyance I tried to yell at him but was quickly silenced with lips against my own. In shock, I open my eyes and see that he was actually kissing me. Gajeel was kissing me. I didn't know what to do, so I just stayed there, totally motionless. After only a few seconds, his lips parted from mine and I was completely dazed at the sudden action. "There, tension's gone." he smirked.

I looked at him in total confusion until I was able to speak again. "Wh-why would you do that?" I demanded.

He didn't answer right away. Instead he was just sitting there with a blank expression on his face. "Just cause." His response made my jaw drop as he also got up from the bed and walked over to my desk and started shuffling for the notes that he asked for before.

"That is not an answer!" I responded in aggravation.

"Why not?" he flatly responded back.

I was speechless. How could I honestly respond to someone who was so oblivious. "Well what if I slapped you out of no where with no explanation whatsoever?" I tried to sound triumphant.

He turned away from the front desk and the big man stood there right in front of me his head leaning down towards me ever so slightly in order to meet my gaze. "Do it." His words for some reason brought me shock. How could he just challenge me to something like that? I raise my hand and only inches away from his cheek, I slightly fling my wrist and a small slap was heard. I had closed my eyes and turned my head in the process so I didn't have to look at him and see his reaction. I somehow thought that he was going to be angry and argue with me or even slap me back. I sensed movement coming from him and I cringed at the thought of what would happen next. However, even though thinking the worst, I felt his large hand grab my own and held it gently. "You're cute, shrimp."

He let my hand go and when I finally opened my eyes, he was gone. I looked around confused since I didn't hear the door open or close. Honestly thinking it was the stupidest idea, I still considered looking out the window and saw him climbing down, almost at the ground floor. I had the urge to yell at him for attempting to do something so dangerous, but I didn't want to startle him and make him fall or even bring attention to him and my parent finding out. I just leaned on to my window, my chin resting in my palm and looking at the man who robbed me of my first kiss, slip away down a wall. A small smile crossed my face thinking of the sweet moment we had shared. Once he finally reached the ground and headed towards the front gate to leave, I realized that I had yet to finish studying for my Spanish exam tomorrow. Looking out to him one last time, I closed the window and headed for my desk that was left in a total mess from him shuffling through my papers. Organizing them back to how they were, I came across a small piece of paper that was sloppily pipped of a larger piece. Curious, I turn it around and notice pour handwriting all over it. I giggle since I recognized it to be Gajeel's and read it. "I have stuff to do at ma place. Could you come over instead?" Surprised at the request, I started wondering what his neighborhood and his home looked like. From his appearance, I thought to myself that he must have lived in a troubled home and a rough neighborhood, seeing as he hangs out with the people that he does. But I then felt guilty as I judged him and labeled his life by what he looks like. I dismissed the idea and focused on studying.

* * *

Outside of the large mansion stood three figures in the shadows. They were waiting patiently until they heard the creaking of the front gates and saw a familiar figure. With grins showing on their faces, the three figures approached him, stepping into the dim light of the beautiful home behind them.

"Did you get it!" The man with the black and white hair asked the long black hair man that was passing through the front gate.

"No." Gajeel said casually passing through his gang of thugs.

"What? Non non non, it is unacceptable. Why did you not-?"

"Shut yer mouth and let me go home." He said, a bit agitated.

"But you were in there! Why didn't you just-?" the first man raced after him and attempted to grab his shoulder, but was quickly shrugged off.

"Because it wasn't the right time, okay?" He turned away again and started walking away into the night. "Just let me do my job and never question me again. Ya got that?"

The three men were left behind, totally baffled by Gajeel's poor outcome and snappy attitude. Once he had finally walked away far enough and was totally engulfed by the night, the men exchanged a look amongst themselves.

"Do you think he's backing away from the plan?" The tall large man asked the two smaller ones as a single tear streamed down his face.

"I don't know dude. But for his sake, he better not!" the multi-colored hair man said before walking away as well, the two men following close by behind him.

* * *

**Hello there!**

**Well, this is another chapter update! This story is cute and all and one of the very first ones that I ever wrote. But I'm growing kind of tired of the questioning and the obliviousness and the blaaahhh. Time to shake things up! What do you think? With this chapter, we conclude the first faze and come into the opening of the new part of the story. This story was meant to be between 3 to 4 parts so we are about half way there, minimalisticly speaking. **

**So, now I have introduced to you a secret of Gajeel's. What is the Element four (excluding Juvia) up to? **

**Find out in the next chapter!**

**Loves,**

**Avgi**


	7. Chapter 7

**All things Fairy Tail belong to Hiro Mashima. Picture also belongs to its rightful owner.**

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Chapter 7

Is it True?

"Wha?" My best friend squealed in excitement during lunch time at school.

"Shush, will you?" I said as my cheeks began to turn a light red.

"He kissed you? That is amazing!" Lucy almost yelled it out to the world, but stopped herself. "I'm so happy for you!" With a big smile on her face, Lucy skooted over to the edge of her seat in order to embrace me.

"Lu, please. You're making a scene." I sighed but still accepted her hug.

"Who cares? My best friend kissed a boy!" She smiled at me making me blush. I looked around the school cafeteria in order to find Gajeel but he was no where to be found. I wanted to ask him his address so I can meet with him to study since he had things to do there. My attention drifted off to the outside through the windows, out the doors to the hallway, but still no one. "Hello? Are you listening to me?" I turn my attention to my blonde friend which help a annoyed look on her face.

"Sorry, what?"

"You weren't paying attention to what I was saying! About the party next saturday!" She whined a little.

"Wait what party?" I gave her a confused look.

"Duh, your party!" I still looked very confused. She sighed at my obliviousness and continued on. "We talked about this for days now. Its Prom but not Prom. Your place is the fanciest out of everyone's so we said we would have it there."

"Oh right I forgot, sorry! I've just been focusing on other stuff lately."

"Like your boyfriend?" She said in a snarky voice.

"He is not my boyfriend. And yes with him. I have to make sure he finishes his homework, do my own, SAT, keep my place as valedictorian, think about graduation, college applications, school committee, extracurricular activities…"

"Woah, woah, woah! Is Levy freaking out again?" As I rambled on through my to-do list, a cheery boys voice interrupted me and grabbed both of our attentions. we looked up and saw a familiar pink haired guy standing over our table with a goofy grin on his face.

"Natsu! You're here!" Lucy said full of surprise. He winked and sat next to her while putting an arm around her shoulder. I had heard many things about the famous Natsu Dragneel. One of the most popular guys in the school. I also remember what Lucy told me about the two of them and how they ended up together. They had only been going out for a while so I never seen them acting as a couple before. Once he made himself comfortable next to my best friend, he gave her light kiss on the cheek, making her giggle a bit. It was really awkward to watch but I couldn't stop staring.

"So what else is there on your list?" Natsu laughed as he casually joined in the conversation.

I looked at him a little rather annoyed at his teasing. "...book club." I blantly said.

"Oh Levy, you need to loosen up a bit." Lucy stated as if it was that simple to do. "sure those things are important, but you having fun and relaxing is important too. I'm afraid your blow a gasket at any point." She tried to laugh.

"I know, I know, you're right." I quickly put my books away in my bag that I set aside next to my chair from before, cleared my mind and gave her my full attention. "So, the party?"

"Yes! So I'm thinking it should be around nine or so and party till one the next morning." You're parents are going to Australia next tuesday and are not coming back two months time so we should have the place to ourselves. Is that okay?" She asked for permission which I quickly nodded to. "Perfect!" She bends down to her bag and takes out a notepad and a pen and swiftly checked something off. "Venue: Done! Next is, wardrobe. Should we be loose about it or have them dress up a bit?" She asked me. Before I could even respond, she interrupts me. "Formal would probably fit best." And rights it down quickly, it's like she read my mind or something.

"You look so cute when you write." Natsu said with a slightly loud whisper.

"Stop you! I'm trying to work here." She said clearly not wanting him to stop. "Okay next. You got the food and drinks, right?" I nodded and she checked it off the list. "Great! Then I'll manage the decorations with Cana and Mira."

"What about publicity?" I quickly asked before she was done. She picked up her list and looked through it quickly and saw that she had no such requirement on it.

"Oh no? What should we do for that?" she asked a little worried.

"Hey no prob. Let the guys handle that!" Natsu said in confidence. We both looked at him in confusion. "Hey don't look at me like that! we can have Redus do the posters since he's good at drawing and then we'll spread the word around and maybe hand out stuff."

"Oh that's an amazing idea!" Lucy cheered. "Maybe you can get the rest of the basketball team to go along with it to get the girls attention! Elfman, Gray… and Levy, you got Jet and Droy as good study buddies, maybe you can ask for their help. Oh and Gajeel too!"

"Gajeel?" Natsu said in surprise.

"Yeah." She replied back with a smile. She then looked at him and noticed that he had an uneasy look on his face. "What's wrong?"

"I'd rather you girls not talk to him. He's bad news." He said sounding a little protective.

"Wait what do you mean?" I asked.

"Dude's trouble. Bad background, bad attitude, bad crowd and bad neighborhood. Don't want you girls involved with that." He sternly said, looking my way.

"Natsu! Don't say stuff like that! It's rude." Lucy scolded him.

"What? I'm just trying to warn you! He's been messing around with a group of thugs, and doing a bunch of crazy things." He tried to defend himself.

"Like what?" I sounded a little worried rather than mad. I couldn't blame Natsu for thinking like that of Gajeel since I judged the book by its cover as well, but I wanted to make sure what he was telling me wasn't true.

"I don't know… vandalism, shoplifting, fights. Something as far as drugs too." At the mention of those terrible things, I got up from my seat, grabbed my bag and ran for the door to the cafeteria. I needed to get to my next class.

* * *

The things Natsu told me still lingered in my head. Sure some of those things could be true, but the mention of drugs made my stomach turn. I was barely able to get to my math class without throwing up my lunch. I didn't think those accusation towards him were true, but if I knew that, why was I feeling like this, as if I did believe they were. Traveling all the way to the fourth floor was a challenge, but sitting still in my seat in class for some reason made it worse. I only managed to sit through a few problem solving exercises before needing to be dismissed to go to the nurse's office.

Because I had a note, I was free to use the elevator to go to the nurse since her office was on the first floor, but my stomach probably couldn't handle it. Each step felt like a leap through a canyon, wider and wider, much harder to jump. I grabbed on to the rail for dear life and sat down, trying to calm myself. This pain could possibly be just because of Gajeel. I must have worked myself so much I didn't even realize I was getting sick. I lightly place the back of my hand onto my forehead and noticed I was running a high fever. I still had three more class periods to go through, and being so close to exams, I couldn't afford to skip. I tried to pick myself up to get to the nurse, but I quickly fell back down, my legs unable to support me. My vision started to fade slowly, my ability to feel my body going along with it.

"Hey, you okay?" A voice called out to me, but I couldn't tell who it belonged to. "Say something?" They sounded genuinely worried as they continued to call out to me. What felt like to arms wrapped around me and picked me up with little to no effort. "Geez shrimp." As we started to walk away, my vision and any other sense was lost.

* * *

The smell of hand sanitizer and wooden sticks filled the air. I open my eyes, and from the darkness of my empty and exhausted mind, the white bright light blinded me. As my vision began to settle, the image of the nurse's office came to view. I felt a little dizzy but my stomach pain was all gone. I slowly sit up on the resting beds they held in a separate room in the office. With a click, the door to the room opened, and a middle aged woman stepped it, rather surprised to see me. "Oh, you are finally awake!" She then smiled which I nodded to. "Well then let's see." She shuffled through her clipboard and with a soft and sweet voice she continued her examination. "We found this note in your hand when you came in. It mentioned something about a stomach ache. Are you feeling better?" I nodded again. "Great. you were running a fever of 103, very high, but it's all gone now so you should be fine. This is common in random situations, especially when dealing with a lot of stress and not enough rest so get plenty tonight promise?"

"Yes, I will. Thank you." I replied shyly in embarrassment.

"Do you have any more questions?"

"Yes, what time is it?"

She pulled up her sleeve and shook her wrist and looked at her small watch. "It's about 2:03. Last period ends in 17 minutes. But do not worry. We sent to all your teachers a notice of your absence. You won't be marked down as absent in any of your classes." That made my sigh in relief a bit. All I needed to do was see my teachers and get the notes to study extra over the weekend. "Any other questions?"

"Yes, just one more. How did I get here. I don't quite remember."

"Ah yes, you lost consciousness. A young man brought you in. Gajeel, was it?"

At the sound of his name, I quickly got up from bed and walk towards the door to get my shoes.

"There is no need to rush, we don't want you to strain yourself." she said with concern.

"I need to meet up with someone!" I yelled back as I strinted through the door.

* * *

**Hello again! **

**It's been a month or so, so here it is! An extra long than usual chapter! Hope you like. I decided to add a party in this story as well. Ties in with how I want it to go and also because its prom season so be sure to be in a partying mood. heheheh.**

**Watch out for more updates for this story and my other ones. Their pretty good so give em a chance. And it not pour sme cheese on them or sprinkle some sprinkles. whatever tickles your fancy.**

**Bye Loves! Follow, Favorite and Review!**

**-Avgi**


	8. Chapter 8

**Fairy Tail and its characters belong to Hiro Mashima. Image belongs to its rightful owner.**

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Chapter 8

Pantherily

It was 2:14 by the time I was out of the nurse's office. I still had to sign myself out a reassure them many times that I was okay and didn't need to go to the hospital or have someone drive me home. I still needed to get to my last class and pick up my belongings and salvage as many notes from my teachers as possible. I couldn't afford falling behind when I was so close to SAT's and graduation.

I managed to get to the fourth floor and in to my math class just 3 minutes before it was over. My teacher was confused at first seeing me healthier than before and 3 hours later. I told him that I was okay now and looking for my things, however what was weirder was that they weren't there. Could have somebody actually want to steal a school bag? Then again it was mine. With the mountains of notes I carry in there, everybody had a good chance of passing any of my classes. He apologized profoundly but at that moment I didn't mind. I just needed to get the the front gates in less than 2 minutes.

As I was heading down the stairs and before I could reach the second floor, all the students start to pour out of their classes. Within seconds I was in a pool of high schoolers. I quickly pushed around, trying to get through but because of my size, people barely noticed me. An average student stresses about homework, worries about tests and absolutely fears of failing. My daily fear was being trampled on. Pardons and 'Excuse me's were exchanged and I finally made it to the front gate.

I looked around and he was nowhere to be seen. It was still too early of the end of school to expect a smaller crowd surrounding the school. People usually left in groups of friends. Many walked as I did and others were already driving. I still looked around, sometimes mistaking others for Gajeel but still no sign of the real him.

It was well off 15 minutes after school had ended. Then it was 20. Then 30. Still no sign of him. I had no way of contacting him since my phone was in my bag. I also never exchanged phone numbers with him so even if I did have it, it would be of any help. We still hadn't decided on where to go and study. He asked last time to study at his place instead but I'd never been to his house before. I had no idea where to go direction wise in hopes I'd find him walking back home. I simply planted myself on one of the benches and blindly waited. There were no more people walking out of the building. The only people there were the after school activities people and the jocks waiting for the gym to open to the public. I just sat there silently, still waiting. A part of me knew that I was just wasting my time there. It was obvious he wasn't going to just appear out of no where and tease me and call me shrimp like he always does.

I let out a sigh when suddenly something slightly heavy landed on my head and a familiar snicker followed it. "What are you still doin' here, shrimp? It's dangerous for good kids to be out too late." I look up and there he was, resting his hand on my head and giving me that stupid grin of his. I wanted to get up and yell at him like I usually did, but I just sat there, letting him lightly pet me.

"I was waiting for you." I silently said, to embarrassed to say it out loud.

"What?"

"You never told me where you lived since you wanted to study at your place today."

"Oh right. Now I remember." He said as he took his hand from my head, feeling sorry for confusing me.

"Besides, what are you still doing here?" I asked, a little too curious for an answer.

"I had detention." I had to admit, I was a little surprised, but this kind of thing was expected. "I was caught roaming the halls without a pass. That teach Allen can be a real pain." He grunted.

I got up from my seat ready to start heading home. "Well people who don't obey the rules can't complain about the punishment. You should have known better."

"Yeah, yeah, goodie two shoes, must always be a good boy." He mocked. The moment I attempted to open my mouth and argue, he stuffed a bag in my face. Not just any bag, but my bag.

"Wait, what?"

"I went to pick up yer stuff. I was headin' back to the nurse's office when Allen busted me." I instantly felt bad for scolding him without knowing the whole truth. Not only was he the one who got me to the nurse's office safely, but he also went back to my class to retrieve it. "Come on, let's head back." Before I could even react and thank him, he was already walking ahead of me.

* * *

The road we took was in the complete opposite direction from my home. However, it didn't take long to get to his neighborhood. Earlier today, Natsu had mentioned that Gajeel was from a bad neighborhood, and he wasn't lying. The streets seemed filthier, litter everywhere you looked, garbage overflowing I could spot many stray animals just roaming around, hungry for any food they could find. There was also much more poverty in this neighborhood. People cloaked in blankets were in groups rather than individual and they were sleeping on eachothers shoulders rather than begging for money and food. It was a hard sight to see. Every step further I took gave me chills and yet, Gajeel was unfazed. Anyone would say that he grew up here and he simply had gotten use to being here, but I would never get use to this. I bought myself closer to Gajeels side, feeling a little more safe.

"You too close shrimp." Gajeel said.

"I uh… I-I'm so...sorry." I stuttered from embarrassment. I took a step further to the side, distancing myself from him. It wasn't like I was trying to do anything. I just wanted to…

"You know, I could easily put you in my bag. You could fit right?" He chuckled.

"I am not getting into anybody's bag."

"Suit yourself. Not like there's much difference to me."

"Hey! Stupid!" What? That didn't make any sense.

A little ways down the main street, we turned left down Phantom Ave. We stopped in front of a three story apartment that was old and run down. A metal gate with spikes on top of each rail gave the place a real spooky feel. I was grateful it was still daylight out. I still had hopes that this wasn't where Gajeel lived but when he reached for the front gate, I let out a sigh of disappointment. "Come on."

We passed through the gate and walked through the worn out pavement that led to the front entrance. As I was about to walk up the steps, Gajeel turned left and continued walking. "Hey, where are you going?" I asked.

"Just wait there a sec, I got somethin' to do."

Before I could ask him what, the front door swung wide open. Scared, I let out a small yelp from the surprise as small children started pouring out of the home.

"Gajeel!" They all yelled together. Five or six children ran to him and began holding onto his legs, preventing him from moving any further ahead.

"Hey, cut it out you little twerps." Gajeel yelled in aggravation.

"Yay Gajeel's home!" One little boy said in excitement.

"Why did you take so long? Supper is cold." Another said.

"Did you get in trouble again?" A little girl teased.

"Would ya quit buggin' me?" Gajeel continued to grunt. It was a rather surprising sight to see. It was almost adorable. I never would have guessed kids adoring him this much.

"Gajeel~" A boy whined. "Play with us!"

"Not now! Go inside before I eat ya!" He made a scary face and let out a roar that resulted the kids in letting go and laughing as they ran away from the 'monster'.

The minute they finally took notice of me, they all ran behind me and used me as a shield. "Protect us lady!" "Don't let him get us miss." They would all shout with their adorable faces that made me laugh.

"Ya think a little shrimp will protect ya. Fat chance!" Gajeel bent down on all four and started stalking towards our direction, letting out little grunts and growls with each step he took. This would scare so many other children, but they didn't seem to mind. The kids then retreat into the home and close the front door in hopes of keeping Gajeel out.

I couldn't stop laughing at the adorable game they played. When I turned to look at Gajeel, he was out of sight. As I looked for him left and right, I walked around the perimeter of the home, following the trail he intended to go in before. I squeezed through the tight spaces between the thorny plants and the outer side walls when I found what looked like a little alley between Gajeels home and the next door neighbors house. I poked my head in, not knowing what to expect to see and noticed Gajeel kneeling down at the ground. I didn't bother saying anything and just continued to walk towards him, hopefully not noticing me. Once I was right behind him I bowed my head over his shoulder and again to my surprise, he was petting a cat.

"Must you always stick yer nose in other people's business?" Gajeel grunted.

"I uh- I'm sorry. I was just wondering where you went." Not hiding anymore, I walked around and kneeled next to him so I could have my fair share of petting the cat. "He's really cute." I giggled.

"Don't call him that. He's a guy!" He complained.

"Oh sorry- I mean handsome." I lightly scratch the cats head and down his back. A stray cat would be aggressive and would scratch us in an instant, but he was very calm and friendly. "What's his name?"

"Doesn't have one."

"Why not? He seems pretty comfortable with you, I'd thought you had him for a while."

"Its just a name, it's no big deal."

"Of course its a big deal. Everyone needs a name." I scolded him.

"Then you name him, and stop buggin' me."

I continue to pet the cat's soft black fur and make my way behind his unique round ears, almost like a bears. "How about Teddy?" I suggested.

"Not a chance."

"Thomas?"

"Anything original? Geez."

"You have to keep your options open." I exhaled as I thought about other possible names. "How about Lily?"

"That's a girl's name."

"Well help me. It's hard when you keep rejecting every name I offer."

"Panther." He bluntly said. I gave him a weird look to his response. "What?"

"You named him after a species?" I ask him.

"You gave him a girl's name!" He objected.

"How about Pantherlily, kinda like tigerlily."

"That sounds fine." He didn't sound too enthused but I knew he liked it. we finally gave his cat a name. He was officially part of the family.

"By the way, your brothers and sister are adorable." I smiled.

"We're not related." He got up from his squatting stance and turned around to exit the alley.

"What do you mean?" I asked following along behind him.

"This is an orphanage. We are all orphans." My heart sank. Was Gajeel really an orphan. No parents to take care of him? To show him what's right and wrong and steer him on the right path, encouraging him along the way? "The guy owning this place left us a while ago. I was just barely old enough to take care of the brats, so I did."

"That's very noble of you." I said in a almost sad voice. I didn't know that he had it so hard. Taking care of all of those kids as well as himself. I could see now why he was struggling with school, why he was hanging out with people with bad reputations. He was alone with no help, trying to take care of himself and the others at a very young age. It was heart breaking. I shook the thought out of my head and raise my head. "Listen up you!" I said as I grabbed his attention. "We are going to go inside and start studying till we can't anymore. Or till sunrise. Whichever comes first!" I tried to sound as commanding as ever. It felt odd, but relieving at the same time.

He gave me a puzzled look before breaking out in laughter. "Let's just go, shrimp. Food is getting cold." In a simple command, my authority was taken from me, and once again I was following behind him.

* * *

**Hello, **

**Sorry this was a bit late. Got a lot going on, but hey, its a longer chapter so be sure to enjoy every minute of it!**

**I added the little, "fit in my bag" scene from the manga one cause I thought it was just so darn cute I couldn't help it. Also this week's chapter with the hot spring scene. It was just to die for. Never has the GajeelxLevy ship been more real.**

**Have a lovely weekend my darlings!**

**-Avgi**


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